Pacific University Tran Library Remodel to Feature Additional Study Rooms, Makerspace and More
Students, faculty and staff can expect plenty of exciting changes at the Tran Library on the Forest Grove Campus over the upcoming year, highlighted by a planned two-phase remodel that will include additional study rooms and "makerspace."
IMMEDIATE UPDATES
On Sept. 10, the Center for Learning and Student Success, previously known as the Tutoring & Learning Center and located in Pacific Hall, will relaunch and occupy the second floor of the library, overlooking the lobby.
CLASS aims to improve student success by providing a welcoming environment in which students can work toward their academic goals with peer support, says Dean of Libraries Isaac Gilman. The space will provide for individual and group tutoring, as well as guided study sessions.
Additionally, new furniture has been added to the 24-hour study room, as well as next to the library exhibit area on the first floor.
COMING SOON
Library staff have also been busy preparing for a planned two-phase remodel of the 15-year-old facility, with construction tentatively scheduled to begin in January.
"Assuming that we are able to stick to our tentative schedule, we expect the work to continue through the end of Spring Semester," he added.
Gilman said the functional changes will include the addition of more than a dozen new study and collaboration rooms on the second floor in the east wing, at least one of which will be designed as a lactation room for nursing mothers.
A new "makerspace" for students will become a permanent fixture of the second floor as well. In partnership with the Berglund Center, which is relocating from Berglund Hall to the Library, the makerspace will complement existing specialized makerspaces and technology located throughout various academic departments on campus.
The Library makerspace will offer students from all colleges disciplines the tools and support they need to apply what they learn to the creation of prototypes, models, and other physical and digital products, Gilman said. "In addition to 3D printers, laser cutting and engraving, and other technology, the makerspace will include a seminar room with teleconferencing capability for up to 14 individuals."
Gilman also noted that the seminar room can be closed and opened to become part of the makerspace as needed for teaching and other activities. "There will also be a whitebox photography room for 3D scanning, photography and video recording within the makerspace area," he said.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Library staff have worked throughout the summer to prepare the spaces for remodeling, primarily by shifting collections of books, journals, government documents and multimedia (DVDs, CDs, LPs). This includes a new area that will house historical collection of works and documents published in or before 1939.
"During the fall semester, students will likely notice empty shelving, or may discover that a section of books is not where they remembered them being," Gilman said. "We will have plenty of signage to help direct people, and our staff members are always happy to help as well."
Once construction starts, the second floor east wing and the current music area will be unavailable, and the carrels, seating, and study rooms in those areas will no longer be accessible. "We will be proactively helping direct students to other areas of the Library, or to alternative studying locations," Gilman said.
Construction timeline specifics are still being finalized, and the university will provide regular updates to the community that will include the remodel's impact on use of the library.
When complete, the remodel will provide an optimal environment for students from all disciplines to think, care, create and pursue justice. "This project represents key pillars of the university's educational philosophies of applied learning and interdisciplinary collaboration," Gilman said.